Happiness is a great commercially available stain.

[plainpainter 217]

These boards have helped me a great deal in the past, so I just wanted to let you guys in on a more commercially available stain that is an absolute gem! Now I have a feeling in the next few months that there going to be some great products available to us - and I don't think this product I am introducing is the best of the them, but I think it's a good product that will give you good value, has many of the properties as contractors that we're looking for. It's basically the quality of the 'old' ATO product but even better - resists color fading, goes on great, is thin and really penetrates yet loaded with pigmentation so you get great color. It really is my all around favorite stain to use, and mostly because it is so widely available at quality paint stores. It is a product made by california paints - you can go on their website - CALIFORNIA PAINTS - and search for a store near you, or go to STORM STAIN for just a dedicated site. I have included picturs of the can. Somehow, even though I live in a 'reduced' emission state of Massachusetts - they somehow have figured how to be VOC compliant, I think they went to the EPA and ran their particular mineral spirits through their tests and were given an exemption - they are known thoughout the northeast as being the absolute cleanest manufacturer - the quality of the air they exhaust into the surrounding atmosphere from production is cleaner than the surrounding air itself! So they ar totally an up and coming 'green' company - they are small, 50-75 million a year and growing tremendously fast, their paints are absolte perfection in quality. So look a the their VOC, you will be amazed - this stuff really sinks into the wood. And I did a 'scratch' test on top of the can where their is some product dribble - you can't scratch this stuff off! This can is from last season - about July, so that dribble has been curing for an honest 7 months.

[plainpainter 217]

Here are the scratch test photos, you will notice from the ingredient list that this stain contains cobolt napthenate - so this product is really meant to preserve your wood almost has the ability to make pressure treated from kiln dried on the spot! But it's drawback is that is nasty smelling - requires the use of a respirator - but man you should have seen these carpenter ants trying to get away one time - this product really kills pests. It has a great color too.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

The can is not exciting. I want to see work! :)

Beth

[plainpainter 217]

I will go back in a month or so and take pics of a deck I restored Beth. I will go post some 'befores' in a moment. I'd rather show some pics of a deck that has seen a good 9 months and a winter to show how really outstanding this product truly is.

[Greg R 82]

Interesting stuff... can't say I've ever heard of it before. The "nasty smell" could pose a big issue though. Every so often I still get a customer sensative to smells call us up on Ready Seal wondering how long the odor is going to hang around. To introduce something worse would be trouble :)

[northwestern 14]

But it's drawback is that is nasty smelling -

does it smell like ready seal? i liken the smell to railroad ties which I've gotten a few complaints.

[plainpainter 217]

If you are talking about rail-road ties type of smell - to me I think of creosote, and no does not smell anything like that. Upon revisiting the deck a day or two later to collect my check - I didn't smell anything at all.

[dsp powerwash 14]

I thought low voc limit was 250 g/l. is your dealer selling old stock? probably a good product but at 32% solids i dont see how its low voc.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I thought low voc limit was 250 g/l. is your dealer selling old stock? probably a good product but at 32% solids i dont see how its low voc.

350 ml/liter

Beth

[plainpainter 217]

That can are design was new for the the '07 season. It is not old stock - they have exemptions on VOC's. If you read my post, you would have known that. The limit here is 350ml/liter. But several companies have gotten exemptions - they will continue to have those limits even in our 'reduced emissions' corridor. Like I said - this is a fantastic product!